Removing crane for locomotive smoke-box fronts



A. T- KUEHNER.

REMOVING CRANE FOR LOCOMOTIVE SMOKE BOX FBONTS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12,1920.

1,405,555, Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- A 7. /1 w/l/llif INVEN TOR.

I ATTORNEY! A. T. KUEHNER.

REMOVING CRANE FOR LOCOMOTIVE SMOKE BOX FRONTS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1920.

1,405,555, Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR.

N 5 F6 A bRNEY! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR T. .KUEHNER, 0F ELKRIDGE, MARYLAND.

REMOVING CRANE FOR LOCOMOTIVE SMOKE-BOX FRONTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR T. KUEHNER, citizen of the United States, residing at Elkridge. in the county of Howard and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Removing Cranes for Locomotive Smoke-Box Fronts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates: to an improved removing crane for locomotive smoke box fronts and has as one of its principal objects to provide a device of this character whereby the front of the smoke box of a locomotive may, after being released be simply swung to one side, thus dispensing with the tedious and laborious process now commonly followed in removing locomotive smoke box fronts.

The invention has as a further object to provide a device wherein a locomotive smoke box front suspended upon the crane may be adjusted vertically thereon to compensate for any sagging so that the holes in the front of the smoke box may be brought into accurate register with the securing stud bolts upon the locomotive for permitting ready application of the front to the locomotive smoke box.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device wherein a smoke box front may be locked against independent side movement upon the crane so-that the front will, regardless of whether or not there is more weight at one side of the vertical center of the front than at the other. always hang plumb from the crane, this feature, of course, acting not only to greatly facilitate the removal of the front but also to facilitate its replacement. v

A further object of the invention is to provide a device wherein a smoke box front may, should it be so desired, be adjustably swung independently upon the crane so that should it become necessary. the front may be positioned to freely receive the securing stud bolts of the locomotive smoke box therethrough.

The invention has as a still further obj ect to provide a device wherein a smoke box front may be looked upon the crane so as to avoid the possibility of accidental dropping of the front and wherein said locking means. will serve to rigidly hold the front against rotative movement about a vertical axis therethrough.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb 7 1922.. Application filed April 12, 1920. Serial No. 373,382.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a device which may be readily employed in connection with substantially any conventional type of locomotive.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional type of locomotive equipped with the socket and hanger of the present invention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation showing the arm of the present device applied.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the smoke box front of the 10+ comotive detached, and

Figure 4: is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the supporting head, and hanger of the device.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I have shown my improvedcrane in connection with a conventional type'of locomotive having the usual smoke box 10, in which is fixed, at its forward end, the customary smoke box ring 11. Normally closing the smoke box is the smoke box front 13 secured by a series of stud bolts 14 projecting forwardly from the ring through'suitable openings in th front and receiving nuts 15 serving to clam the front in place. In removing the ront, as is now commonly practiced, a chain is secured thereto when, upon the removal of the nuts 15, a derrick or block and tackle is employed for-lowering the front. Obviously, this'operat'ion .is attended with many difficulties and th-ese'diflic-ulties become even more se= rious when the replacement of the front is undertaken,- due to the fact that all of the holes in thesmoke box front must be brought into register with the studs 14 before the front can be moved inwardly over said studs. The present invention, therefore, seek-s to overcome the difficulties in question and provides means whereby the smoke box front may be easily'and expeditiously removed and also replaced wit-h facility. J

In carrying the invention into effect, I employ a hanger 16. This hanger is secured to the margin of the smoke box front at its upper side by a plurality of bolts or other suitable fastening devices 17 whilebetween these bolts the hanger is, as particularly studs of the smoke box.

shown in Figure 3, provided with a plurality of openings registering with the usual openings in the underlying portion of the margin of the front for receiving the corresponding Thus, the hanger may be permanently secured to the smoke box front without interfering with the proper bolting of the front to the locomotive smoke box. Formed through the hanger medially thereof is an opening 18 and. as will be observed, the hanger is tapered somewhat toward its upper end and is provided with a. lateral rearwardly directed flange 19, the hanger being somewhat in the nature of an angle plate. In said flange areformed spaced parallel slots 20 opening through the rear edge of the flange. Mounted upon the wall of the smoke box at a point spaced somewhat below the summit thereof is an upstanding socket 21 provided with a base plate 22 through which are engaged rivets or other suitable fastening devices securing the socket to the smoke box. As will be noted, the socket is thus preferably permanently fixed to the smoke box and leading from the bottom of said socket downwardly through the lower edge of the base plate is a drain passage 23. Accordingly, water or other foreign matter cannot collect within the socket.

In conjunction with the hanger and socket, I employ an arm 24:. This arm is provided with an angularly directed inner end portion from which extends a depending trunnion 25 adapted to rotatably fit in the socket 21 for thus swingingly supporting the arm thereon. At its outer end the arm is formed with spaced forwardly directed ears 26 and pivoted upon said ears is a horizontally disposed supporting head 27 provided at its rear side with a lug 28 freely fitting between the ears and receiving a pivot bolt 29 engaged through the ears and the lug for detachably connecting the head with the arm.

Projecting from the forward edge of the head medially thereof, is a stud 30 adapted to be freely received through the opening 18 of the hanger and associated with this stud are nuts 31 normally threaded on the stud, the stud being, as will be observed, formed to receive a cotter pin 32 for locking the outermost of said nuts against displacement. Upstanding from the head are spaced posts 33 adapted to be freely received in the slots 20 of the flange 19 of the hanger and threaded upon each of these posts is a pair of nuts 34. As suggested in Figure 2, the posts may be threaded into the supporting head so as to thus be detachable but may, of course, be otherwise fixed upon the head.

Since it is not practicable to remove the smoke box front of a locomotive except when the locomotive isin a shop or terminal, it s intended that each locomotive shall be per-. manently equipped only with the hanger 16 and socket 21. Each shop or terminal may then be supplied with one or more of the arms 24; with their supporting heads so that when the operation of removing the smoke box front of a locomotive is undertaken, an arm with its head may be applied to the locomotive. To accomplish this, the trunnion 25 of the arm is first engaged in the socket 21 when the stud 30 of the supporting head is fitted through the opening 18 of the hanger 16, the posts 33 of the head being coincidently moved into the slots 20. In thus fitting the stud through said opening, the outermost of the nuts 31 is, of course, first removed so that when this nut is again applied, both of the nuts may be adjusted upon the stud for clamping the hanger therebetween. The hanger will thus be looked upon the supporting head while the nuts will also serve to hold the smoke box front, when freed, against wobbling about a vertical axis passmg through the stud. Likewise, the lowermost of the pairs of nuts 34 are arranged to engage beneath the flange 19 of the hanger while the uppermost of said nuts are arranged to confront the upper face of said flange. Consequently, these nuts may be adjusted to clamp the flange therebetween for locking the smoke box front, when freed from the smoke box, against rocking movement about the axis of the stud 30. After the supporting head has been so secured to the hanger, the nuts 15 of the stud bolts 1e may be removed when, as will be at once appreciated, the smoke box front may be swung to one side upon the arm and thus removed from the smoke box. Further, as will be observed in this connection, the supporting head 27 forms, in effect, an outer pivoted section of the arm: 24- so that by swinging the head upon the pivot bolt 29, the smoke box front may be rotated about the axis of said bolt, as the arm 21 is swung outwardly, and thus manipulated so as to clear any obstructions upon the forward portion of the locomotive.

Attention is now directed to the fact that since the smoke box front is locked against swinging movement about the axis of the stud 30, the front will, without regard as 1 to whether there is more weight at one side of the vertical axis of the front than at the other, be held to hang plumb from the stud. Upon some types of engines, a headlight is mounted upon the smoke box front and upon other types, the smoke box front is weighted more at one side of the vertical center than V inwardly to dispose the front in register with the front 'end of. the smoke box, the stud holes in the front will register with the stu'ds'of the smoke box. However, due to the extreme weight of the average smoke box front, it may sometimes occur that the front will sa'g toward one side'sufiiciently to render it difficult to move the front'inwardly over the studs of the smoke box. The purposein employing a" pair of posts 33 provided each witha paiir'of nuts 34, thus'becomes apparent. As will be readily appreciated, by properly-adjusting these pairs of nuts, 'th'esmoke box front may be. rocked about the axis ofthe stud for bringing the stud holes of the front into register with the studs-ofthe'smoke boxwhen the smoke box front may then again be locked in adjusted-position so that the operation of replacing the smoke box front may proceed without diificultyl 7 l When the smoke box front is swung free of the'smokebox upon the arm-24, the front wilh due to it's heaviness,'-tendto stress the armand the "supporting head downwardly with the result that the stud openings in the frontmay be moved slightly out of register with the studs of the smoke box. Any looseness between the arm and its socket or between the head and the arm, such as would result from wear would, of course, permit a corresponding downward movement of the smoke box front. Accordingly, I have provided a means whereby the smoke box front may be adjustably elevated. As will be particularly observed upon reference to Figure 4., the opening 18 through the hanger 16 is of a size to loosely receive the stud 30 therethrough. Consequently, by loosening one of the nuts 31, the pairs of nuts 34 upon the posts 33 may, as will be appreciated, be adjusted for raising the smoke box front and locking the front in its elevated position. The stud openings in the front may thus be brought accurately into register with the studs of the smoke box when, by tightening that one of the nuts 31 which was loosened, the arm 24 may be swung inwardly for shifting the smoke box front inwardly over said studs without hindrance. I accordingly provide a particularly effective construction for the purpose set forth and, as will now be clear, a device which may be readily employed in connection with substantially any conventional type of locomotive as now in common use.

Having thus described the invention, what 7 is claimed as new is:

- box and front whereby the front may be swung away from the smoke box about one axis. and may also be turned about another axis nonparallel to the first axis.

2. The combination with fixed and movable members, of coacting elements mounted one upon each of said members, and connecting 'means betweenthe members coacting with said elements whereby the movable member may be swung away from the fixed member about one axis and mayalso be turned aboutanother axis nonparallel to the first axis.

The combination with fixed and movable members, of'a socket mounted upon one of said members, a hanger mounted upon the other of said members, and connecting means extending between and enacting with the socket and hanger whereby the movable member may be swung away from the fixed member about one axis and may also be turned about another axis nonparallel to the first axis.

4;. The combination with fixed and movable members, of connecting means extending between'said members whereby the movable member may be swungaway from the fixed member, and means for adjustably tilting the movable member individually.

5. The combinationwith fixed and movable -members, of connecting means extending between said members whereby the movable member may be swung away from the fixed member, and means for adjustably and individually swinging the movable mem-- ber about a center eccentric thereto.

6. The combination with fixed and movable members, of connecting means extending between said members whereby the movable member may be swung away from the fixed member, and means for adjustably elevating the movable member individually.

7. The combination with fixed and movable members, of connecting means extending between said members whereby the movable member may be swung away from the fixed member, and means for locking the movable member against swinging movement upon said connecting means.

8. The combination with fixed and movable members, of connecting means extending between said members whereby the movable member may be swung away from the fixed member, and means for locking the movable member against individual movement about a vertical axis.

9. The combination with fixed and mov- "able members, of connecting means extending between said members whereby the movable member may be swung away from the fixed member, and means common for adjustably tilting as well as adjustably elevating the movable member.

10. A device of the character described including a hanger, an arm, means carried by the arm for rotatably supporting the hanger, and means carried by the first means for adjustably rotating the hanger.

11. A device of the character described including a hanger, an arm, means carried by the arm for loosely supporting the hanger, and means carried by the first means for adjustably elevating the hanger thereon.

12. A device of the character described including a hanger provided with an opening therethrough, an arm, a supporting'head carried by the arm and having a stud engaging through said opening for rotatably supporting the hanger, posts carried by the head, and means adjustable upon said posts to coact with the hanger for adjustaby rotating the hanger.

13. A device of the character described including a hanger, an arm, a supporting head carried by the arm and loosely sustaining the hanger, posts carried by the head, and means adjustable upon said posts to coact with the hanger for elevating the hanger. V

14. A device of the character described including a hanger having an opening therethrough and provided with a laterally directed flange having slots, an arm, a supporting head carried by the arm and provided with a stud engaging through the opening in the hanger for loosely supporting the hanger, posts upstanding from the head and freely received through said slots, and nuts adjustable upon the posts to coact with the hanger flange for rotating the hanger upon said stud or elevating the hanger thereon.

15. In a device of the character described, an arm, a supporting head pivoted thereon and rovided with a v stan ing from the hea and nuts adjustable upon sa1d posts. 7

16. The combination with a locomotive smoke box, and a front closing the smoke box, of means extending between the smoke box and front whereby the front may be swung away from the smoke box, and means for locking the front against individual movement about a horizontal axis.

17. The combination with a locomotive smoke box, and a front closing the smoke box, of means extending between the smoke box and front whereby the front may be swung laterally, and means for tilting the front sidewise with respect to the smoke box.

18. The combination with a locomotive smoke box, and a front closing'the smoke ivot stud, posts up 

